Bourque was unarmed and dripping wet at the time of his arrest. His weapons - an automatic rifle and a hunting rifle - were found nearby.

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He began the killing spree on Wednesday, opening fire on members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on a quiet residential street. It was the deadliest attack on Canada's national police force in nearly a decade.

The victims were named as Constable David Ross, 32, a dog handler, Constable Georges Gevaudan, 45, originally from Boulogne-Billancourt in France, and Constable Douglas James Larche, 40. Constable Ross was a father expecting his second child.

Raquel Vander Ploeg, a family friend, said: "This is the kind of nightmare that you never wake up from."

In 2008, Constable Larche had been recognised with an award for saving the life of an unconscious baby.

The eastern Canadian city of Moncton, New Brunswick, which has a population of 60,000, came to a standstill as 300 officers had searched nearby wooded areas for Bourque with dogs, armoured vehicles and helicopters.

During the manhunt, police asked residents of the city's north-west section to remain indoors with their doors locked and exterior lights on to help the search. Much of Moncton, including its popular downtown area, was shut. Some businesses placed signs in windows saying they were closed because of the manhunt.

Friends said Bourque, who lived in a trailer park and worked at Walmart, was home schooled and came from a religious family. He was a keen moose and bird hunter.

His entries on social media websites showed him to be a conspiracy theorist, obsessed with gun rights and voicing fears that Russia was preparing to invade Canada.

Roger Brown, the Mounties' commanding officer in New Brunswick, said: "I can't dig deep enough to explain the sadness that we all feel."